Why Real Madrid aren’t ready for the new season
Real Madrid are arguably the greatest football club on the planet. With 14 Champions League titles and 35 La Liga crowns, many expect Los Blancos to be in the fight for all the major competitions this season. However, things are very different this season compared to the previous ones.
With the lack of top-drawer signings and a new spine going into the new season, many consider that this could be a year of transition at Real Madrid. For the first time since the 2008/09 season, the La Liga giants will be without their spearhead Karim Benzema. The departure of the Frenchman to Saudi Arabia puts an official end to the iconic BBC (Benzema, Bale, Cristiano) trio at Real Madrid.
Alongside Benzema’s departure, there are many reasons why Real Madrid aren’t ready to go for the big titles this season. Carlo Ancelotti has a lot of problems up his sleeves.
Thibaut Courtois’ long-term injury
Real Madrid’s 2023/24 calendar hasn’t even started yet, and they have had their goalkeeper out for a long time. Thibaut Courtois is arguably the only player in their backline in his prime. Many believe that the double done by Los Blancos in the 2021/22 season was largely down to his goalkeeping performances. However, if Real Madrid want to repeat those heroics, they would have to do that without the Belgium International, as he is sidelined due to an ACL injury.
There are reports that David de Gea could be in line to be a short-term replacement for Courtois. De Gea has been a free agent since being released by Manchester United earlier in this transfer window.
Real Madrid’s interest in De Gea goes back to the 2015 summer transfer window when the Spaniard almost signed for the Spanish giants, but documents were too late to arrive. Hence, the move never got completed, and de Gea signed a new deal at Manchester United.
However, the situation is now different. Although de Gea has won the Premier League Golden Glove last season, there were mistakes in his game which resulted in him losing his spot in the International team. Although he can still be a decent goalkeeper, his form has question marks. Furthermore, he will demand huge wages at Real Madrid, which can break their wage structure.
The situation with new signings
If Courtois’ injury wasn’t enough, the players fit for the new season haven’t exactly hit the ground running. Jude Bellingham signed for a huge fee from Borussia Dortmund, but he hasn’t had the best of pre-season games. It shouldn’t be ignored that he was coming to the pre-season tour after undergoing knee surgery. Hence, there are question marks on his form.
On the other hand, Arda Guler came to the Spanish capital with a lot of promise. He has been dubbed the “next Mesut Ozil” based on his performances in Turkey. However, he is also out of action as he will undergo knee surgery.
